Los Angeles, Ca
The NFL issued millions in fines this year: Where does the money go?
(NEXSTAR) — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was recently fined more than $14,000 for celebrating a touchdown pass by making a “violent gesture.” San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa was fined $11,255 after crashing a live interview while wearing a MAGA hat. Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb racked up thousands — and maybe even more than $1 million — for sitting out of training camp earlier this year.
Numerous players (and even some coaches) have been fined this season, some for dangerous plays and others for comments made about officiating.
So where does all the money go? As annoying as the fines may be for the players, the money largely benefits charity under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association.
Where the funds go depends on the fine being imposed.
Should a team impose a fine, say, because the player was late to practice or threw a football into the stands, the CBA outlines that at least half of the fine must go toward supporting “local or other youth football programs.”
Fines levied against a head coach or team due to off-season workout violations are split in half, benefiting both the Player Care Foundation and the Gene Upshaw Players Assistance Trust.
If a player is fined for violating the physical and mental health guidelines in the CBA, the money is “allocated to medical research programs.” If a player is fined over a sensor (which collects health and performance information) violation, the money “shall be allocated to research programs.”
Commissioner discipline fines are split between the Players Assistance Trust and “charitable organizations jointly determined” by the league and the players association unless another agreement is reached. If the NFL and NFLPA can’t agree on one charitable organization, they can each select a charitable organization or organizations to receive a quarter of the fine.
There are also fines for on-field actions. Those include offenses against game officials; infractions related to player safety and personal fouls, sportsmanship, uniform; fighting, and “gang signing.”
The fines for first-offense actions range from slightly more than $5,600 — imposed for most uniform violations such as an unapproved visor tint — to roughly $39,500 for fighting or making physical contact with an official. The range for second offenses is from $11,255 to over $79,000.
According to the CBA, mitigating and aggravating factors can reduce or raise the fines. Regardless, the fines collected due to on-field behavior “are donated to the Professional Athletes Foundation to support Legends in need and the NFL Foundation to further support the health, safety and wellness of athletes across all levels, including youth football and the communities that support the game,” according to the NFL.
“We don’t want to fine anybody,” Akil Coad, the league’s vice president of compliance, said, “and we actively try to prevent it.”
JC Tretter, who played for the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers, and, until earlier this year, served as the president of the NFLPA, previously explained that players were concerned about the league “excessively fining players.” He notes, though, that players can appeal fines or get back part of fines imposed for first-offense on-field violations by participating in remedial training and not accruing a second offense.
Through Week 11 of the NFL season, 283 plays have resulted in fines. According to the league, that is slightly more than 1% of all plays. The highest-fined player was Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams, who was on the hook for $19,697 for an “obscene” touchdown celebration he called a nod to Calvin Johnson, who was inducted into the team’s “Pride of the Lions” on the same day.
The highest fine issued so far this season was a $66,666 bill against Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman over a helmet-to-helmet hit on Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt in Week 4, according to Sports Illustrated.
The most common on-field violation through Week 11 has been unnecessary roughness calls related to the facemask, followed by unnecessary roughness-taunting calls. Players for the New Orleans Saints have been fined the most at 18 times, while the Packers have been fined the fewest at just three times.
Lions safety Brian Branch is the most frequently fined player, all for different reported violations: four unnecessary roughness calls — hip-drop tackle, hit on a defenseless player, striking/kicking/kneeing, and use of the helmet — and unsportsmanlike conduct for making an obscene gesture.
Most fines imposed this season have been below $10,000, but based on the available data from the NFL, more than $3.2 million in fines have been issued this year.
The future of voice to text is here.
I’ve been testing a variety of tools that make taking notes, transcribing audio, and even voice typing faster and easier than ever.
If you have a smartphone, you’re already halfway there!
Google’s Pixel Recorder app is free and built into their smartphone. It’s excellent for transcribing meetings, lectures, and conversations – all in real time.
Apple’s Voice Memos App recently added transcriptions if you’re upgraded to iOS 18.
Samsung’s Voice recorder app now offers transcripts too – as long as you’re on their latest One UI 7 software. (Check Settings > About Phone > Software Information)
Got an older phone? Try Otter.AI. It works great for transcriptions across devices and you get 300 minutes a month free.
Don’t want to tie up your phone?
I’ve been testing AI-powered digital audio recorders from a startup named Plaud.
The Plaud Note is thin, records for hours, and can even clip to the back of your phone to record calls. Just make sure you know your local laws before using that feature.
The Plaud Pin can be clipped to your shirt or worn on your wrist for hands-free recording.
Both devices sync audio to a companion app that auto transcribes and summarizes.
You get five hours of transcription a month included, with options to pay for more.
Pricing for each gadget starts around $160 dollars.
Want to transcribe audio files on your computer?
My favorite Mac app is MacWhisper. You can even get it completely free – although paid versions are avaialble with more features and options.
On Windows, check out Vibe Transcribe, also free.
And for a web-based option, Whisper Web gets the job done.
Finally, if you want to type less and talk more… there’s an excellent AI voice-to-text app called Wispr Flow. It was previously Mac only but just became avaialble for Windows, too.
One you install it, you pick a hotkey. Then, instead of typing just press and hold down that key and dictate what you want to write.
Since it uses the power of AI, you can even stumble or ramble and it will clean up your words and get the punctionation right.
It’s a gamechanger for responding to emails fast! You get 2,000 words free each week with options to pay for more.
Enjoy your newfound time!
An alleged attack on a state prison officer by a 43-year-old inmate transferred from Los Angeles County is being investigated as attempted homicide, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials announced Tuesday.
The March 18 incident at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad reportedly unfolded just before 9 a.m. on what authorities describe as a “dayroom floor.”
The inmate, Anthony G. Ramirez, is believed to have pulled an improvised weapon from his waistband before attempting to attack custody staff member, according to a CDCR news release.
“Staff immediately responded, disarming Ramirez and placing him in handcuffs without incident,” the release detailed.
The 43-year-old, who was transferred to SVSP in 2008 after being sentenced to life with the possibility of parole for second-degree murder, with enhancements for the use of a firearm and causing great bodily injury or death, was placed in restrictive housing pending the investigation and possible felony prosecution by the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
Both Ramirez and the custody staff member were examined by medical personnel who noted no serious injuries.
Officials said that the California Correctional Peace Officers Association was notified of the incident and prison staff were offered peer support services and employee assistance programs.
Salinas Valley State Prison, opened in 1996, houses more than 2,400 minimum, medium, maximum and high-security inmates. The facility also offers vocational programs and academic classes and employs some 1,800 people.
A toxic algal bloom leaving an increasing number of marine mammals stranded along Southern California beaches shows no signs of subsiding and “will only get worse,” officials said Monday.
“This week, we saw more stranded dolphins (both alive and deceased) than we saw during the major domoic acid (DA) bloom in 2023,” Marine Mammal Care Center (MMCC) Los Angeles posted on Facebook.
Recent tests showed DA-producing algae levels have increased, and officials believe that trend will continue in the coming weeks. “We anticipate that it will only get worse,” the post read.
MMCC asked the public not to approach sick dolphins or sea lions on the beach because they can become aggressive upon awakening from a seizure.
“This is a safety issue for people and their pets as much as it is for the marine mammals,” officials said.
Beachgoers were also urged not to push stranded dolphins back into the water, saying it can reduce their chances of survival.
More information about domoic-acid poisoning can be found at https://marinemammalcare.org/domoic-acid/.
The volume of sick marine mammals has also had a financial impact on the MMCC.
“Our team is working heroically to respond to every call and to rescue every animal they can. Please share this post and give now at marinemammalcare.org/donate to give these marine mammals a second chance at life!” the MMCC stated.
Anyone who encounters a sick or stranded marine mammal can alert the nearest lifeguard and call 1-800-39-WHALE to make a report.
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